In their first-ever national conference collaboration, the Community Partners programs of the HBS Association of Boston, the HBS Club of New York, and the HBS Association of Northern California presented the 2021 Nonprofit Board Summit: Building High-Impact Nonprofit Boards During Dynamic Times from May 4 to May 13.

The clubs worked in partnership with the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) to create this multi-day, virtual conference aimed at educating, inspiring, and empowering nonprofits nationwide to build high-impact boards ready to face the unprecedented challenges of a post-pandemic world.

In response to steadily growing interest among HBS alumni in serving on nonprofit boards, the Northern California and Boston clubs have previously produced regional nonprofit board summits as part of their Community Partners programming. The shift to virtual engagement over the past year inspired the clubs, with the help of the SEI, to run the event at a much larger scale. This year’s national summit is an amplification and supplement to the ongoing consulting work the clubs provide for nonprofits in their local communities.

“Our collective reach is much greater than our individual club reach,” says David Harris (MBA 1984), President-elect of the HBS Association of Boston, and co-lead in organizing the conference. He also served as a panelist, sharing his expertise as managing partner for Interim Executive Solutions, a firm that guides nonprofits through successful leadership transitions. “More and more, HBS alumni are engaged in philanthropy and the nonprofit world, and the school itself is doing so much more than even 10 or 15 years ago.”

The summit focused on four major themes—Rethinking Governance, Adapting to a Changing Landscape, Equity and Inclusion in Action, and Partnering for Systemic Change—over four days of virtual panel discussions and case studies, and featured insights from an array of HBS faculty, alumni, national thought leaders and dedicated nonprofit board members. Two additional days were offered for “deeper exploration and engagement” where attendees could learn more about the SEI and Community Partners, or attend a virtual networking event, interactive workshops, or connect with nonprofit board matching opportunities.

HBS Baker Foundation Professor Lynda Applegate opened the summit’s first theme, Rethinking Governance, by leading a case study called Leading in Turbulent Times. Other featured speakers included Jim Bildner, CEO, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation; Margaret Hall, CEO and Cofounder, GreenLight Fund; Lisa Hamilton, President and CEO, Annie E. Casey Foundation; and Deborah Winshel (MBA 1985), Global Head of Social Impact, BlackRock, Inc. Ford Foundation President Darren Walker began the final day’s sessions with a fireside chat on “Partnering for Systemic Change” alongside HBS Professor Shawn Cole.

“All of our themes were very grounded in today’s hot topics that all nonprofits are addressing, says Elaine MacDonald (MBA 1998), Executive Director for HBS Community Partners of the HBS Association of Northern California, and summit co-organizer. “Our goals for this summit are twofold: to educate, inspire, and empower nonprofits to build high-impact boards and also to bolster the ecosystem of nonprofit networks so they can share, exchange, and collaborate on best practices.”

More than 1,000 people attended the summit over the two weeks, and participants were encouraged to invite colleagues to join to help amplify the summit’s impacts for their respective organizations. Unlike most club-sponsored events, the summit was not an alumni-only event, and many participants—speakers and attendees—came from the nonprofit organizations that work with the clubs in other contexts, including Community Partners projects.

“We know that nonprofit board service is of great interest to alumni. So we were very thoughtful to find the best people for the topics of conversation,” says Amelia Angella (MBA 2001), Associate Director for the SEI. Angella worked closely with the clubs on the summit’s themes and content, and helped make connections that brought in HBS faculty and the many other high-caliber speakers. “I really like how inclusive it was.”

Initial feedback from the summit has been extremely positive and the organizers have hinted that the event is likely to be offered again in the not too distant future.

“The collaboration among the alumni clubs, SEI, and HBS professors was powerful,” says Ava Zydor (MBA 1984), one of the co-organizers from the HBS Club of New York. “It greatly enhanced the scope and impact of the summit. We were excited to see how much enthusiasm there was around sharing experiences and insights across such a wide range of organizations, geographies, and issues.”

MacDonald adds that another summit would likely be offered as a hybrid of in-person and virtual content. “I can’t imagine us not doing something like it again,” she says.

Until then, Harris says, the insights shared and the connections participants made will have immediate impacts for the people and organizations involved.

“We couldn’t have asked for it to go much better,” he says. “Now, because of this summit, we have a group of people who we can continue to engage, both virtually and in-person, to help them build competency and impact in this area. And if it works for the nonprofit sector, maybe we could be doing similar things for other areas of interest.”

In a bid to overcome the challenges of networking during the pandemic, seven HBS alumni clubs from across the globe worked together to present the first-ever Global HBS Spring Alumni Mixer on April 23.

Thirty alumni from the HBS Clubs of Chicago, Houston, Toronto, London, New York, Boston, and India joined the 90-minute mixer, which featured one-on-one “speed-networking” breakout sessions. To accommodate the different time zones, the event was held in the morning in the U.S., giving alumni in London and India a chance to join later in their day.

“The format was speed-networking, where seven HBS alumni met every seven minutes with alumni from seven cities from around the world,” says Ana Danciu (PLDA 22), president of the HBS Club of Chicago, who helped organized the event. “It was a unique opportunity to network professionally and socially to make meaningful connections.”

To add to the fun, participants were encouraged to bring a favorite drink and moderators played music during transitions between sessions. After an hour of speed-networking, participants returned to the larger group for follow-up conversations and connections.

“I met some interesting people, whom I probably could have spent an hour talking with in person, says Ben Figard (PLDA 29), a member of the HBS Club of Houston.“Asa new alum from Executive Education, it was great to feel welcomed into the larger HBS community and be treated as an equal, which was a concern of mine.”

Figard adds that in Houston, a one-hour networking event in-person would take him three or four hours when figuring for travel and parking. The Zoom event, he says, was a very modest time investment with a big payoff.

“It was exciting to meet a variety of fellow HBS alumni from all over the world who you might never get a chance to meet in the real world,” he says. “I’m always blown away by the depth of talent and experience in the HBS community, and this was another way to see some of that. Full marks to the Chicago team. They had a great concept, moderated it well, and handled all the details perfectly. I give it a 10 out of 10.”

Sandy Damm (GMP 29), from the HBS Club of London, echoes Figard’s assessment.

“I was delighted to be invited, and loved every bit of it,” he says. “Meeting like-minded people is morale-boosting in these crazy times. One person reached out to me the next day and we had a proper business discussion, reviewing potential opportunities.”

Danciu says the feedback was overall very positive, with many participants noting the effectiveness of the one-to-one speed networking, where they could “practice their elevator pitches.”

Monika Rogozinska (GMP 24), from the HBS Association of Boston, adds that the event was a chance to strengthen relationships with other HBS alumni and offer help to one another.

“Events [like this] are a source of new perspectives and ideas, and they can be really helpful if you’re dealing with a decision, a challenge, or new career direction.”

Danciu says the seven clubs are already looking forward to presenting another virtual global networking event this summer. “Bringing our HBS community together on a global scale, across multiple countries and cohorts, was a reminder of the diverse and unique culture we had when we were at HBS.”

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